This blog was commenced in late 2011, at the beginning of a three year posting to Moscow. I returned to Australia at the end of 2014.
My intention was to provide a pictorial commentary on my observations of Moscow, a city most people in Australia know little about.
The blog has now been wound up and there will be no more entries. Nor will I respond to any more comments. Thanks for visiting.

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Friday, 15 March 2013

I know I put a similar picture in a previous post, but I couldn't resist adding this one. The building is 7 stories high and although the worker is wearing a harness, it is not connected to anything.

I probably shouldn’t write today, as I am feeling a bit
sour. Almost being run over by a young woman at a pedestrian crossing (what’s
unusual about that?) didn’t help my mood.

A Canadian friend, also a geologist, said to me many years
ago that he couldn’t figure out why the British had sent their free-settlers to
an ice-box (Canada) and their convicts to paradise (Australia). In this Russian
ice-box it has been snowing again these past three days and I have been feeling
a bit homesick for paradise. No doubt I’ll perk up when spring arrives, but
these Moscow winters are so darned long.

My topic for today suits my disposition – the Gulag Museum. This
museum is located at 16 Petrovka Ulitsa. People say it is hard to find, but it’s
more a matter of it not being obvious. One has to walk down a short tunnel almost
directly opposite Stoleshnikov Pereulok. The museum is small, with thoughtful
and poignant displays showing the lives and meagre possessions of individuals
who went through these awful labour camps.

Entrance to the Gulag Museum, only visible after passing through a short tunnel.

I’m not going to say
anything more about the gulags. You can read about them on Wikipedia if
interested. Nasty places. Interestingly, Stalin, who instigated the gulag
system, is now becoming increasingly admired in Russia (just Google ‘Stalin
popularity’).

Stairway up to the museum.

Stalin's picture might be shown, but this is one place where he is not admired.